One of the worst films of all time is the setting for one of 2017’s funniest films “The Disaster Artist.”

Directed and starring James Franco, it’s a delightful tale of how one man followed his dreams at all costs – creating something that was so bad, it become a “you have to see it, to believe it event.”

“The Disaster Artist” tells the story of a struggling young actor named Greg Sestero (Dave Franco) who meets an eccentric guy named Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) in an acting class.

To say Wiseau is an enigma is an understatement. Wiseau is very secretive about everything – his age, where he was born (he claims he is from Louisiana even though he has some kind of indistinguishable European accent), and his wealth.

All these oddities fascinate Sestero, who eventually moves in with Wiseau. As their friendship grows, their quest to make it in Hollywood comes up short – until Wiseau decides that they will make their own movie to prove everyone that doubts them wrong.

The result is “The Room” – a film that was so bad no one involved ever thought it would even be released, only to have the film to evolve into a midnight cult hit that becomes a worldwide phenomenon.

Working from Sestero’s details of the friendship and making of “The Room,” “The Disaster Artist” will definitely please fans of the movie and book. But what James Franco has done, with help from  screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, has created a film so endearing that you don’t even have to know what “The Room” is to appreciate it. Sure it’s a movie within a movie, that could be perceived as a little too inside for some – but Franco, Nuestadter and Weber have crafted something that everyone can identify with. 

Much like “The Room” was Wiseau’s labor of love, “The Disaster Artist” is Franco’s. You can see that he has meticulously made sure to create a love letter to filmmaking – even bad filmmaking – and has had a great time doing it both in front of and behind the camera.

A lot of other people had fun making this too – with a loaded cast that includes James Franco pal Seth Rogan, Ari Graynor, Paul Scheer, Allison Brie and cameos from Bryan Cranston, Melanie Griffith, and Sharon Stone.

Franco’s Wiseau is uncanny – as Franco’s performance doesn’t just mimic the man he is portraying, it delves deep into Wiseau’s mysterious soul. Franco could have easily just played Wiseau’s eccentricities for laughs, but he sheds a little light on the man, making the audience care about him.

Fans of “The Room” might find a few details fudged here and there for sake of plot development, but overall “The Disaster Artist” nails it (driving the point home with re-enactments of scenes from “The Room” shown side by side with the actual film during the closing credits). 

It’s a film that won’t disappoint fans of “The Room,” and might just create some new ones.

Starring: James Franco, Dave Franco

Directed by: James Franco

Rating: R for language throughout and some sexuality/nudity

Playing at: Belcourt Theater, Regal Opry Mills Stadium 20 in Nashville

Grade: A-